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Patented Sept. 16, 1919.

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SIGNALING DEVICE. 7 APPLICATION FILED JAN. 21,1919.

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Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Sept, 16, 1919. 7

Application filed January 21, 1919. Serial No, 272,272.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM D. Huoens, a citizen of the United States, residlng at Long Beach, in the county of Los Angeles' and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Signalin Devices, of which the following is a speci cation. v

This invention relates to signaling devices, and preferably to that type designedv for signaling or alarming pedestrians or drivers ofvehicles of the approach of a vehicle, and to this end, the signaling device may be arranged'either at a street crossing or intersection, or the signaling device may be located at a distance remote from the 1 crossing, place.

intersection, highway or other the provision of a signaling device embody-' ing among other characteristics, a signal proper which is exceedingly sensitive, and so sensitive that the very slightest contact of a vehicle or object with the actuating device will effect a vibratory action of one of theelements of the signaling device in accordance with the actuation given it by the actuating device with the result that upon slight or slow movement of the actuating device, the warning given is not as vigorous as when sharp or quick contact is made with the actuating device, in which event the vibration of one part of the alarm is such as to give quick, snappy, or forceful actuations, indicating to the pedestrians and drivers that the on-coming vehicle is approaching with great speed, and thereby giving such an alarm to the pedestrian as to warn him to move quickly out of the roadway.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in the construction and novel combination of parts hereinafter fully described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings and pointed out in the claims hereto appended, it being understood that various changes in the form, proportion, size and minor details of construction,

within the scope of the appended claims, may be resorted to without departin from the spirit or sacrificing any of t e advantages of the invention.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a diagrammatic view in perspective, illustrating one embodiment of my invention. I

Fig. 2 is'a cross sectional view through ,a roadway or street crossing, illustrating this particular embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3 is a detail fragmentary perspgctive view illustrating a connection between the signaling device proper and the actuating device therein.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged detail sectional view of the upper end of the signaling device.

Fig. 5 is a cross sectional view through a roadway illustrating a very important em: bodiment of my invention.

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary perspective view, partly in full lines and partly in dotted lines, illustrating the connection between the actuating device and the vibrating element of the signal illustrated in Fig. 5.

Referring now to the accompanying drawings, and more particularly to Figs. 1 to l,

inclusive, which embodies one form of my In the particular embodiment of the invention now being described, the actuating device for each bell is located at a distance remote from the crossing, say for purposes of illustration, one hundred feet, more or less. This actuating device preferably extends half way across the road-way and is located in a suitable trough 5 which at one end extends preferably under the pavement, as shown at Fig. 2, for a purposepresently explained.

The actuating device consists of two arms 6 and 7 which are preferably. connected togetherby a resilient metallic or other suitable resilient member 8. The outer end of the member 6 of the actuating device is pivoted in the trough at 9. The outer end of the member 7 of the actuating devices is screwed or otherwise fitted fixedly in a socket 10 or a T-shaped coupling 11 located under the pavement, as illustrated in Fig. 2.

In each column 2 is a relatively short rigid arm 12. The lower end of this arm 12 is fixedly secured in a T-shaped coupling 13. This arm 12 located in each of the columns is connected with the respective actuating device by a rock shaft 1a located in a suitable'housing 15. This rock arm is journaled in the lower embedded end of the respective column as indicated at 16 and is fixed adjacent its ends in the aforesaid T-couplings 11 and 13, the end of the rock arm 1e adjacent the actuating device being journaled at l? in the aforesaid trough 5 as is clearly shown particularly in Fig. 3. An exceedingly thin and resilient clapper arm 18 of relatively long; length is secured to the upper end of each of the aforesaid arms 12 located in the columns 2. These clapper arms 18 are of relatively long length and thin so as to render them exceedingly resilient to provide for great vibration under the influence of slightest action given thereto as the result of contact of a vehicle ill or object with the respective actuating devices 6-78. The vibration of the clapper arms 15 have'the function, incident to their extreme sensitiveness, of vibrating slowly or rapidly under the influence of the actuating device, as will now be understood, and if a. vehicle is moving slowly over'the street or roadway and contacts with the respective actuating device, the vibration of the respec tive clapper arm against the respective bell 4 will give an alarm to the pedestrian at the crossing. If the sound is rather light, the pedestrian will know, as the result of city or town ordinances or warnings that the vehi cle is approaching slowly. If the vehicle contacts sharply with the actuating device,

which it will do under great speed, the

greater will be the vibratory action of the clapper arm, and consequently more vigorous will be the sound or warning to the pedestrian, indicating to the pedestrian that the vehicle is approaching with more or less neat s eed.. Thus the sensitiveness of the g P a structure involved here is such that the sound or warning will be made in sound according" to the actuation of the signaling devices under the influence of the actuatingdevices according to the sharp or gradual depression of the element 67-8 of the actuating devices as will now be understood.

The actuating arms 6 and 7 and the connection 8 extend preferably very slightly above the upper edges of the trough 5 so tuate the vibratory devices constituted by In another embodiment of my invention,

which will be preferable in many. instances, I dispense with the rock shaft in and by reference to Figs. 5 and 6, I mount the column 2 directly opposite the actuating devices A,

A the same in construction as the aforesaid actuating devices, and I connect the arm 7 of p the actuating devices directly to the vibratory arm l2l8 by a bell crank lever 19 so that upon actuation of the actuating device in this second form of the invention there is a direct action on the vibrating arm and the pedestrian is warned by the sound of the alarm at a distance from the crossing, say, for the purpose of illustration, one hundred feet, more or less.

it will thus be seen that both forms of the invention are substantially the same. The only difilerence is that in the first form described the signaling device is located directly. at the crossing and the actuating device at a distance therefrom, necessitating the use of arock shaft such as that illustrated at 1%. In. the second form of the in vention, the rock shaft is is dispensed with and both the actuating devices and the signaling devices are arranged at a distance away from the crossing, but the alarm given. is such that it will be heard by the pedestrian at the crossing and the functions due to the sensitiveness of the signaling devices hereinbefore described will be performed and heard and recognized and understood by the pedestrian at the crossing under the operation. of the device described in this second form the same as in the case or the form of the invention first described. The difierence is slight. The principles are the same in both cases and the characteristics of both; devices are all common to both. Hence the claims herein presented are drawn to cover broadly both forms of the invention with one set of claims presented specifically to one form of the invention.

It will be understood that my invention is applicable not only to street crossings and intersections, but it is equally applicable for use in highways, between crossings and inity to dangerous curves anc turns on highways.

lVhat is claimed is 1. In a signaling device, a hollow vertical column embedded at its lower end in the ground alongside of the roadway, a bell supported at the upper end of the column, an

' actuating device located in the roadway for tending into the latter, anarm rigidly con- I nected to the rock-shaft and extending up wardly into the column, a flexible, vibratory -clapper-arm secured .to the aforesaid arm to coact with -said bell, and a coupling'eonnection between the actuating device and the rock-shaft whereby upon actuation cit-the actuating device the shaft is rocked and the {)lcfiible clapper-arm vibrated to ring said 6 4 v 2. In. a signaling device, signaling means located alongside of the roadway, and an actuating device arranged in the roadway for contact with and actuation by a vehicle, said actuating device consisting of two alining arms and a resilient connection between the inner ends of, said arms, one ofsaid having' operative connection with said sig-" tuation of the actuating device.

.-tuating device arranged in the roadway at naling means to operate the latterupon ac-,

a point remote from the signaling means for a contact with and actuation by a vehicle, said ,30

device consisting of two aliningarms, one of the arms being pivoted at its ,outer'efid, a connection between the. inner ends of said arms whereby said pivoted: arm is maintained in alinement with its alining arm, and a connection between the innermost of said arms and the signaling means to operate the latter upon actuation of theactuatingdevlce.

In testimony-whereof I afiix my signature.

ABRAHAM D. HEDGES.- 

